While the organization intended to host a hybrid event, the spread of the coronavirus forced them to have to cancel the Mipcom Rendezvous Cannes. The entire event will be hosted on the Mipcom Online+ virtual platform.

Just over a month before its 2020 edition and as further companies announced they were canceling their plans to travel to Cannes due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Reed Midem announced this year’s Mipcom will be held entirely online.

The organization had intended to host a hybrid event, with an in-person side named Mipcom Rendezvous Cannes, along with a virtual side on its Mipcom Online+ platform.

If it had taken place, Mipcom Rendezvous Cannes would have been one day shorter (from October 12 to the 14) and it would’ve been hosted alongside MIPJunior, the event that normally takes place on the weekend prior to the main event. In addition, the companies weren’t going to have their traditional stands.

However, as the coronavirus pandemic spread further, Reed Midem was forced to cancel those plans and focus its entire event on the online platform.

Mipcom Warm Up begins October 5 and offers early access for participating delegates and exhibitors to make the most out of the Mipcom digital marketplace by accessing Market Intelligence sessions, Content & Finance briefings and the MIPJunior Screenings platform, as well as use of the Mipcom Digital Hub to plan meetings for the Mipcom Week.

The event as such will run from October 12 to the 16, followed by the Mipcom Follow Up+, which will start on October 17 and last one month, offering access to all the keynotes, conferences, the virtual exhibition hub and the MIPJunior digital library.

“Our motivation has always been to bring together the global entertainment community around the flagship week of Mipcom in order to support content discovery and new business deals, whether online or in person,” said Laurine Garaude, Director of Reed Midem’s Television Division.

“We made clear when we announced Mipcom Rendezvous Cannes that we would only hold the physical market if conditions permitted. Due to the ongoing uncertainty around Covid-19 and recently increased travel restrictions, we believe that Mipcom Online+ is the most effective way to move forward and to gather the global television community around Mipcom Week.”

The Mipcom cancellation comes at a tragic year for industry tradeshows, with others such as Miptv, LA Screenings, Natpe Budapest, Iberseries and New Europe Market also canceled, to name a few. Conecta Fiction, which also announced plans to offer a hybrid event, is the only one that seems to be on track to host the physical part.